Think about your garage or closet. How much of it do you actually use regularly? For me, it's maybe 20%. The rest sits there—a drill I need twice a year, camping gear that gets one summer trip, kitchen gadgets for special occasions.
And here's the thing: my neighbors probably have the exact same stuff, also sitting unused. We're all storing the same things, all paying for them, all running out of space. It just feels wasteful.
Not in a complicated way. Just: "Hey, I have a ladder if you need one." "Can I borrow your leaf blower this weekend?" That's it.
The awkwardness is what stops us. You don't want to impose. You don't know who has what. You feel weird asking to borrow from someone you barely know. So we all just buy more stuff instead.
It's pretty simple: you can see what your neighbors have and are willing to share. They can see what you have. When you need something, you check the library first. No awkward knocking on doors, no guessing who might have a power drill.
I wanted to make something useful and kind of beautiful, without it having to be commercial. No ads, no data mining, no "growth hacking." Just neighbors helping neighbors, with nice design that doesn't feel like a corporate product.
Save money. Borrow instead of buying things you'll use once or twice.
Less waste. The stuff we already own gets used more. We buy less new stuff.
Actual community. You get to know your neighbors. Not in a forced way—just through the normal act of helping each other out.
Snap a photo of things you don't use often
See what your neighbors are sharing
Work out pickup/return that works for both of you
I soft-launched this in Oakland with friends and family. We 're learning what works, what doesn't, and what people actually need.
This is a side project, not a startup. I'm the CTO at a nonprofit called FreeWorld, and I built StuffLibrary because I wanted to make something useful that doesn't have to be a business.
If you're in the Bay Area and want to start a library in your neighborhood, give it a try. If you have feedback, I 'd love to hear it. Let's see if we can make sharing less awkward and more normal.